Book Reviews: THE SILENCE OF THE STONES by Rebecca Bryn

Rebecca Bryn

about this book: Would you like to discover more about runes and runemal, the art of rune-casting? The Silence of the Stones was inspired by ancient symbols carved into rock near my home in West Wales. I wanted to understand the writing, and connect with the people who carved it. What if the stones could speak?

When Alana is thrown into the centre of a conspiracy of silence over a 30 year-old crime, she has no idea runes exist. She's an artist and sculptor, grabbing the chance of a new start in life, unaware that Rhiannon, an odd old woman living nearby, has cursed her family to three generations, and is using runemal to help destroy her and those she believes guilty of perjury.

I discovered a lot about runes whilst researching this novel. In fact, I actually cast my own runes, using scrabble letters, to discover where Rhiannon's castings would really take the story. The results were spooky and drove the story inexorably towards its end.

I also learned a lot about mental illness, I read a very moving book called Fractured, by Ruth Dee, that gave me an insight into a condition I hope I never suffer from. This allowed me to understand Rhiannon and give a greater depth to her suffering.

There is much in the mind we shall never understand, so much is written off as 'it's just in your mind' as if this is something we should be able to deal with alone. I hope the reader will feel compassion for my characters' 'eccentricities'.

I've had fabulous reviews, but this snippet sums them up. Good writing, a vividly evocative setting, deftly drawn characters, an intriguing glimpse into the little-known lore of runes, psychological depth, mystery, suspense, twists, and an undertow of heartbreaking tragedy. I was hooked from start to finish.

Other book by Rebecca Bryn

So glad I found this book

This isn't my usual choice... I like detective stories... but a friend recommended it, and it held me from start to finish. I'll be on the lookout for more by this author, to buy rather than borrow. Knowing me, I shall buy this one. I enjoy rereading good books after an interval, and this one is very, very good. [by Pat Wainwright]

An Exceptional Book

The Silence of the Stones is the last book I have read, and one of the very best. I enjoy many genres, from romance to thrillers, and this book knits them all into a story that moved me from laughter to tears, more than once. The solution to it all is dramatic, based on fact, and kept me guessing until Ms Bryn chose to reveal it in the final pages. No praise is enough for the research she must have done, and the vivid picture she paints of a mysterious, frightening, but beautiful, setting.

A must-read, whether you like, suspense, romance, or crime

The Silence of the Stones is the best book I've read in ages. Alana lives... all the characters do. You can't go back and find a "lie" and yet the answer is obvious, except it isn't: nobody could guess the end, but it's a rollercoaster ride to reach it. I read it in one night, too intrigued to put it down, and just a little scared I might have nightmares. Rebecca Bryn can make you laugh, make you cry, and twist you round her little finger. [by Fiona Hardy]